Lewes Canal Water Main Replacement
Location Lewes, DE
Client Lewes Board of Public Works
Costs $2,134,000
Date of Completion 2025
Services #Construction Services #Consulting #Water / Wastewater Engineering
Sectors #Consulting #Government #Infrastructure #Trusted Advisor & On-Call Services #Water Systems
GMB was the prime engineering consultant for the Lewes Canal Water Main Replacement project, completed for the Board of Public Works in Lewes, Delaware.
The project involves the installation of a 1,900 foot long, 16-inch diameter fusible PVC main by horizontal directional drilling (HDD) from Gills Neck Road to American Legion Road. Approximately 1,380 feet of 16-inch diameter water main was installed by open cut within American Legion Road connected into the north end of the directional drill. The American Legion Road work included replacement of all existing house water services with new polyethylene service piping and meters.
GMB performed a siting study to identify the optimal location and size of a redundant watermain crossing of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. The redundant crossing provides both hydraulic (increased pressures) and water quality benefits to the Lewes Board of Public Works (BPW) “beachside” distribution system. The study evaluated seven locations located along the Canal from Roosevelt Inlet to the Freeman Highway bridge. Hydraulic analyses were performed for each location, and a multi-criteria analysis matrix was developed evaluating hydraulic benefits, community impacts, permitting requirements, and schedule. The study identified that the most hydraulically beneficial location was the alignment from Gills Neck Road to American Legion Road.
With much of that alignment located within the DelDOT Railway right-of-way (ROW) and crossing DelDOT’s shared use path, and the section of main beneath the Canal located immediately adjacent to the old Rail Swing Bridge location, GMB had multiple collaborative meetings with DelDOT to develop the design. The design minimized the length of watermain within the ROW and allowed uninterrupted use of all sections of the popular shared use paths on each side of the Canal throughout the construction.
A major element of the project was the fast-tracking of the permitting, bidding and construction resulting from an emergency situation occurring with the BPW water distribution system. On August 20, 2024, there was a major break of an existing, in-service 12-inch diameter cast iron watermain that crosses beneath the Canal at the Savannah Road Bridge location. Underwater investigations determined that the damage was irreparable. The BPW brought a repaired main back into service, which left two watermains (12-inch (repaired) and 14-inch diameters) serving the beachside system with little redundancy given the geographic separation of the two mains. GMB facilitated the streamlined processing of all the permits (DelDOT, Office of Drinking Water, Sussex Conservation District, DE State Fire Marshal, DNREC Subaqueous and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers). With the “fast-tracking” of the permits in progress, GMB prepared bid documents. Bids were received on September 13, 2024, just 24 days after the watermain break. A construction contract was awarded on September 18th.
The contractor, Teal Construction, Inc., started the HDD in early November. GMB provided construction contract administration, and on-site daily project representation, ensuring construction met the intent of the project design goals. The HDD was successfully completed on December 21, 2024. The watermain installed by open cut on American Legion Road was installed in January and February of 2025, along with connections to the existing system at Savannah Road. Substantial Completion of the project was on March 10, 2025.
